New Zealous Beginning

So many things happened since Jarvis' passing in April. We still miss him every day but the pain has lessened bit by bit. My sis went to seek solace in New Zealand's embrace and I went to join her for 2 weeks, along with our mom and friend Art in mid May, just when winter started and the cold kicked in. It has been almost 4 years since our last Golden Light trip there and it was wonderful to be back in Auckland to see Y and her family, as well as finally head down to the South Island and explore its wilderness.

After a couple of restful days in Auckland, we flew down to Nelson by Air NZ and were reunited with sis and Karlos on his man-cave caravan which has traversed all of NZ. South Island was definitely colder especially when the wind picked up. We spent a night in a fabulous log cabin at Hammer's Springs and prepared dinner of handpicked wild abalones in the well-equipped kitchen as the fireplace warmed us up. This was Mom's first winter experience and we fussed over her to make sure she's ok.

The magical Castle Hill

The next morning, we drove down to the sacred site of Castle Hill to soak up its magic. Dalai Lama called it the "spiritual centre of the Universe" and we could sense why. Every rock cloaked in shapes of animals was alive and whispering - we blessed the grounds and set our intentions. Even mom said it's such a peaceful place.

Arthur's Pass in the morning

Next we drove quite a distance to Arthur's Pass and found a BnB to spend the wary night. The weather was not kind and poured for 2 days hence we were not able to hike in the nature reserve but we still piled on the layers, walked to the nearby river in the early morning to collect spring water and shiny stones. Mom was reluctant at first but plodded on and had fun as you can see from the picture above.

NZ is never about the destination, it's always the journey that holds surprises - like when the caravan accidentally slipped into a shallow ditch and someone came to help us. We tumbled out to the roadside, first relieved, then overjoyed to see a huge rainbow across the meadows! Another time we were on the highway in the dark and the strong wind ripped out the caravan's solar panels above. We had to scramble in the dark to find the panels and then climbed up to fix the roof. Such adventures of road trip!

After Arthur's Pass, we found our way to Maria's hot springs and stayed a night at the Japanese onsen-style resort. It was freezing but we were able to seek warmth in the outdoor hot springs overlooking the misty mountains, followed by a hot meal cooked in the caravan. Dining out in NZ was quite expensive so we stocked up at the supermarket (still not cheap) and cooked what we want, from healthy pasta to avocado-blue cheese wraps and miso soup noodles.

Riwaka river

The next day we picked up Art's friend from Nelson and made our way slowly to our base in Takaka along the Golden Bay  up north of the South Island. The drive was very scenic as we winded past lush hills, gushing rivers and a deep valley dotted with jersey cows and sheeps. Karlos made a lunch pitstop at Riwaka river and it was a pleasant 15-minute hike to the source of the river. The air was fresh and chilly, and a pair of fat birds with long tails followed us curiously. The mouth of the river was a cavenous hole, shaped like a womb - a source of fertility and birth indeed. Karlos and sis took a dip in it before, as part of her Jedi training, and survived the freezing temperature. He suggested I try it too but I just gave him a lifted eyebrow. We filled our bottles instead with the pristine spring water, pregnant with more blessings, and I actually carried some back for L to drink.

Takaka is a hippy town according to my sister and I could see why. There was a mixed bag of holistic spiritual gift shops and organic grocers, quaint cafes, etsy-like stores selling handmade ceramic wares and artworks. This was where she met T and his pirates gang who all live on their boats at the port. We checked into the cosy Sandcastle cottages and cooked up a storm of chicken curry, omelette, pumpkin soup and rice for our welcome dinner.

After dinner, we headed to the 'pirates cave' for some whiskey, smokes and songs. Mom was quite taken aback by the pitch black cave and the sounds made by the penguins haha but T built a fire effortlessly within minutes that lit up the hole. We peeped at the millions of stars above the foliage and hoped to catch a shooting one.